Czech Republic #1 of 11 - (Check out "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCWkAt..." for a high quality, wide screen version of Tour of Prague) The banks of the Vltava River in what is now Prague were settled by Slavs in the 5th and 6th centuries. In 1324, Prague became the Imperial residence of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. His reign from 1346 to 1378 was an era of prosperity for the city, marked by the construction of the Charles Bridge. Between 1526 and 1913 the city was under the control of the Habsberg Empire. With the 1918 end of the World War I, Czechoslovakia became an independent republic with Praque as its capital. In 1938, a large part of the country was annexed to Nazi Germany. After World War II, the Communist party came to power with the country dominated by the Soviet Union. The Velvet Revolution began in November, 1989. The citizens of Prague revolted peacefully, electing the poet Vaclev Havel as president. In 1993, Czechoslovakia was divided into two countries (Czech and Slovak Republics) and Praque became the capital of an independent Czech Republic. The music on this clip comes from Mozart's Violin Concerto #5.